Time Out Dubai launches young chef competition
Time Out Dubai has launched its annual competition searching for the best young chef in the emirate, which will see entrants battle it out in a live cook-off.
The Young Chef of the Year event is supported by Emirates Culinary Guild and will take place at The H Hotel on December 5.
Five chefs, all 30 years old or younger, will each cook a four-course meal for a panel of judges, which includes Uwe Micheel, president of the Emirates Culinary Guild and director of kitchens at Radisson Hotel Dubai Deira Creek; Scott Price, executive chef at Table 9 by Nick & Scott; Russell Impiazzi, gourmet culinary director at Galleries Lafayette and Becky Lucas, editor of Time Out Dubai.
“Last year’s event was a huge success. We are back with a bigger event for 2012 and we’ve added a festive twist to the menu,” Lucas said.
“With continued high-profile openings and hundreds of restaurants spanning the spectrum of world cuisines, we have doubled the capacity of the event and increased the number of finalists from four to five. With the event falling in December, it seemed natural to add a Christmas twist to the menu,” she added.
“This event pulls the industry together to celebrate the talent and diversity on display across the city,” Micheel added. “We’re proud to endorse it, and we will continue to chart and promote the unsung, young talent through this event in the city for years to come.”
Invitation letters will be sent to the city’s hotels and restaurants, inviting applications throughout November – these will be reviewed by the judges and the final five will be chosen.
Last year’s winner, 29-year-old South African chef Wesley Berghoff, is now head chef at Atlantis The Palm’s Ossiano, having been promoted from his position of chef de cuisine.
Young Chef of the Year tickets will go on sale on November 1 through timeouttickets.com and are priced at Dhs395. This consumer ticket includes a four-course festive menu cooked by one of the final five chefs, plus unlimited house beverages.